Albania: Decree No. 7393 of 1990 on the Issue of Passports and Visas

CHAPTER I -GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

The citizens of the republic of Albania enjoy the right to be issued passports or other equivalent documents to leave the territory of the Republic of Albania and enter it, with the exception of the cases envisaged in this Decree.

They must have the visa of the state or states they are travelling to, with the exception of the cases when an (state or governmental) agreement on travel by other document or without visa, exists between the Republic of Albania and other countries. (amended by article 1 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991)

Article 2

The Albanian passport is an official document which proves the identity and citizenship of the Albanian citizen abroad.

The passport is individual and provided for citizens above 16 years of age.

The Republic of Albania uses ordinary, service and diplomatic passports

Children under the age of 16 are provided with frontier passes.

The minors travelling abroad accompanied by their parents are not issued frontier passes, but their personal particulars are given in the passport of the person accompanying them.

Article 3

The passport if valid for all the states with which the Republic of Albania maintains diplomatic relations. Upon request by the person concerned, the competent authorities may extend the validity of the passport to other countries, too.

Article 4

The present article is annulled by article 2 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991.

Article 5

No passports are issued to:

a.         incapable persons without the consent of their parents or legal guardians;

b.         persons under penal prosecution until the conclusion of the latter;

c.         persons on whom a penal sentence has been imposed until the complete execution of the sentence;

d.         persons towards whom institutions, enterprises, organizations or individuals have claims over material obligations, until the final examination and the complete extinction of the said obligations;

e.         persons who have proved to be a threat to the internal and international security of the states;

f.          persons under the compulsion of military service;

g.         militaryman in active service, when he is not given permission by the head of the central government department with which he serves, or by the commander of the detachment or the chief of the district public order branch. (amended by article 3 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991.)

h.         persons who on previous travel abroad have committed serious violations of the laws of the Republic of Albania or the state in which they have stayed.

Article 6

The passport is withdrawn from the holder to whom the restrictions envisaged in Article 5 apply, as well as in the following cases:

a.         when it is confirmed that the holder does not have Albanian citizenship;

b.         when it is confirmed that the holder has received it by distorting or concealing facts bearing on its issue;

c.         when the passport has illegally been altered;

d.         when it carries unofficial notes;

e.         when on his travel abroad the holder has committed an infraction of the customs rules.

"For the Albanian citizen from whom citizenship has been withdrawn or who has renounced it, the passport remains valid until he departs the territory of the Republic of Albania."

(added by article 4 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991)

Article 7

The authority charged with issuing ordinary passports can interrupt, or restrict their issue, or withdraw those it has already released, or limit their territorial validity in the following cases:

1.         when there are causes affecting the interests of defence and the internal or international security of the state;

2.         when the life, health, freedom or economic interests of citizens may be at risk in given countries.

CHAPTER II -ORDINARY PASSPORTS

Article 8

Ordinary passports are individual documents issued to Albanian citizens in compliance with the provisions of this decree.

Article 9

Ordinary passports and frontier passes for the underaged are issued by the Ministry of Public Order.

Article 10

Requests for ordinary passports for the Republic of Albania are made to the organs of public order (*) at the place of residence of the person concerned, while outside Albania, to the Albanian diplomatic and consular representations. (amended by article 5 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991)

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Note: The Ministry of Public Order is the equivalent of the Ministry of the Interior or Home Office.

Article 11

The Albanian citizens are issued ordinary passports or frontier passes for foreign travel within one month of application.

Article 12

The present article is annulled by article 2 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991.

Article 13

The content, form and size of ordinary passports and frontier passes are envisaged in special rules issued by the Ministry of Public Order.

Article 14

Ordinary passports are valid for a period of up to 5 years and frontier passes for a period of up to 6 months and for one travel only.

The validity of ordinary passports may be extended also for other one-year periods.

Article 15

For the issue of passport or frontier passes, Albanian citizens who travel abroad for personal reasons have to pay a fee of an amount envisaged by special provisions. (amended by article 6 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991)

CHAPTER III -DIPLOMATIC AND SERVICE PASSPORTS

Article 16

Diplomatic and service passports, and frontier passes for the underaged children of the persons who re provided with diplomatic or service passports are issued in compliance with the rules of the Ministry of Public order.

CHAPTER IV -ISSUE OF VISAS TO FOREIGN CITIZENS AND PERSONS WITHOUT CITIZENSHIP

Article 17

The foreign citizen who wants to enter or to leave the territory of the Republic of Albania should have the passport of the state of which he is a citizen, as well as the Albanian visa, except when there is an agreement (state or governmental) between the Republic of Albania and other states regarding other travel documents, with or without visa. (amended by article 7 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991) For foreigners authorized by the Albanian competent authorities to make commercial, technical-scientific and cultural activities, a visa is issued for unlimited travel for a period of up to 1 year. A visa is also issued for a period of up to 1 year for the representatives of the foreign beneficent associations. (added by article 1 of the Decree No. 7518, dated 09.10.1991)

Persons without citizenship should be provided with documents for travelling abroad issued by the respective authorities of the state of their permanent residence and an Albanian visa.

The foreign citizen who has legally entered the Republic of Albania, as a rule leaves the Albanian territory with his passport certifying his entry to Albania in conformity with the rules of its legislation, except in cases where the passport or travel document has been lost or it is not valid. (amended by article 7 of the Decree No. 7450, dated 05.01.1991.)

Citizens of the European Economic Community member states, those of EFTA, United States of America, Canada, Turkey and Bulgaria have the right to enter the territory of the Republic of Albania without visa issuance. (added by article 1 of the Decree No. 265, dated 21.07.1992)

To the citizens of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain who document their national, is granted visa at our border crossings.

The visa tax will be on a reciprocal basis. (added by article 1 of the Decree No. 528, dated 30.04.1993)

Article 18

Foreign citizens are issued diplomatic and service visas free of charge, whereas for ordinary visas they have to pay a fee. Ethnic Albanian foreign citizens are excluded from the payment. Further exclusions are as provided by (state or governmental) agreement between the Republic of Albania and the states of which the persons who seek visas, are citizens or where these states do not exact fees for issuing visas to the Albanian citizens, (amended by article 1 of the Decree No. 282, dated 15.08.1992)

Article 19

The transition of the border of the Republic of Albania is done at border checkpoints designated by the Ministry of Public Order of the Republic of Albania.

Competent authorities have the right to ban the entry to the territory of the Republic of Albania of persons who are considered persona non grata. (added by article 3 of the Decree No. 265, dated 21.07.1992)

Article 20

Violation of the provisions of this decree, when it does not constitute a penal offence, is considered an administrative contravention and is punished either by social reprimand or by a fine up to 500 leks imposed by the head of the district authorities of internal affairs.

Against this penalty, appeal may be lodged within 5 days following the information on this decision with the Minster of Public Order, whose order is final.

Article 21

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Order are charged to issue the relative instructions for the carrying out of this decree.

Article 22

Decree No. 4504, dated May 8, 1969, "On the Issuing of Passports and Granting of Visas" is annulled.

Article 23

This decree enters into force 15 days after its publication in "The official Gazette"